Unmarked Sites

This section of Farm to Market Road (FM) 45 is a 4.6 mile two-lane paved road running in an east-west direction below the south corporate city limits of Brownwood. The Works Progress Administration constructed the road in 1941 as a new access road to Camp Bowie. The military reservation had been established a year earlier in September of 1940 as a training center for the Thirty-sixth Infantry Division, Texas National Guard. The camp expanded rapidly during the early years of World War II, increasing form its original 2,000 acres to 120,000 by October of 1942. As part of the expansion,...

Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area is an 18,000 acre migratory bird refuge on the shore of the Great Salt Lake.  It began life as Farmington Bay State Park in the 1930s, when the Utah State Department of Fish and Game (now the State Division of Wildlife Resources) sought to transform the delta of the Jordan River into a wildlife refuge. The National Park Service (NPS) was brought in to assist the state in developing the area and, in turn, called on the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to do the labor. The CCC set up Camp SP-2 on the shore of Farmington Bay...

A beautiful, 16 panel mural titled “San Antonio’s Importance in History” adorns the walls of the Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Building (formerly the main U.S. Post Office) in downtown San Antonio Texas. The mural was painted by Howard Cook between the years of 1937 and 1939 using the fresco technique (fresco is the process of painting directly on fresh, wet plaster). Cost of the mural was $12,000. Each panel represents a different period in San Antonio’s rich history from the arrival of the conquistadors and Franciscan missionaries to the great cattle drives and cotton businesses of the early 1900’s. Mr....

Federal Project Number One (1935-1939) consisted of the WPA’s art, music, theatre, writing, and historic records survey programs. It was headquartered in the McLean Mansion at 1500 I Street NW. The mansion was torn down in 1939 to make way for the new Lafayette Building (which still exists today, and is home to the Export-Import Bank). Federal Project Number One also ceased to exist in 1939, although New Deal art projects (except for the theater) continued on as locally sponsored (but still WPA-funded) projects throughout the nation.

The exterior of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) building is enhanced by several works of art commissioned by the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts in 1938. The large, cast aluminum grilles on the Constitution Avenue entrance have six images designed by William McVey portraying commercial transportation methods: Columbus's 15th-century ships, an 18th-century merchant ship, a 19th-century clipper ship, a paddlewheel steamship, an early 20th-century ocean liner, and a seaplane.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) landscaped Fern Spring, creating an attractive, naturalistic rock garden and planting a variety of ferns, wildflowers, and ground covers. A log guardrail was installed to define the parking area and log seats were placed in the woods around the spring to improve the popular spot. The original wooden structures have been replaced or disappeared over time. Fern Spring had been a sacred site for the native people of Yosemite Valley, long before the park was created in 1863. To this day, Fern Spring is a favorite stopping point for Yosemite visitors. It is located just beyond the Pohono Bridge on...

A 1939 report on the WPA's progress in Southern California described the agency's extensive involvement in a major roads project helping to connect Los Angeles to the Glendale-Pasadena area by improving Figueroa St.: "The Figueroa Street Improvement, Work Project No. 4201, sponsored by the City of Los Angeles, provided for the improvement of Figueroa Street between Bishops Road and Sunset Boulevard; and Castelar St. from Figueroa Street to College Street. Both streets are units in the major highway plan of the City of Los Angeles and form an important part of an arterial highway leading from the San Fernando Valley and...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Youngs Creek Bridge No. 1541 in Nallen WV. Excerpt from Legal Advertisement, Notice to Contractors, The Charleston (WV) Gazette, March 18, 1939, p. 11.: “Public Works Administration Projects Docket 1197-F — PWA 3372-E & PWA 3388-B. Nicholas & Fayette Counties. Nallen Bridge No. 1238-F — PWA 3238-A & D, Upshur County. 0.308 miles of the Fink Run Bridge and Approaches. Grading, Drainage, Cement Concrete Pavement and Reinforced Concrete Arch. Certified Check $1,500.00. John E. Fischer, Branch Manager, W. Va, State Employment Service, Weston, W. Va.” Possibly at Fink Run Road near Corridor G....

According to the 1934 town report, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) was involved in "Constructing a dam back of the Grange Hall at Fairfield Center, to make an auxiliary water supply for the fire department." During a site visit, an older gentleman at the grange hall did remember a fire pond in the back, before the current highway 139 was built in the 1960s. Further investigation at the site revealed the concrete pipe that regulated the water in the pond.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a firehouse for the Kern County Fire Department in the town of Delano at Jefferson and 12th Avenue. It has since been replaced by Fire Station #34 at the same site. A total of $600,000 in federal funds was spent on fire stations at Delano, Fellows, Woody, Maricopa and East Bakersfield.

The Works Progress Administration built a fire station in Mason, circa 1939. Rubble Masonry Building with brick trim. One large three truck room. 1 equipment room. 1 shower room. 2 rest rooms. Upstairs 4 rooms, 1 rest room. Building has a reinforced concrete foundation and concrete floors. This building is now Mason County Law Enforcement Center. It sits on the corner of the Mason County Courthouse lawn.

Birmingham Fire Station No. 11 (1910) was a station for the Birmingham Fire Department located at 1250 13th Street North, adjoining the alley between 12th and 13th Avenues to serve the Fountain Heights area. Construction of a station in the neighborhood was recommended in a 1904 report by the Southeastern Tariff Association. The flat-roof one-story brick building was built by early 1910 in a utilitarian commercial style with one large truck bay on the left side of the building and offices to the right. It was the first Birmingham fire company to exclusively use "automobile equipment". The fire company's first run...

This station was constructed in 1928 near Woodward Park. The two-story beige brick station house was designed by Bem Price and constructed for $13,800 by Charles W. Hall. Station No. 15 held one 750-gallon pumper truck in 1960. It later served as the offices of Partners in Neighborhood Growth. This station was fixed up under a CWA Birmingham Public Buildings 37-C-715 project. These were designated Class “A”, “those needing general minor repairs, having sufficient sound value left in them to justify a thorough repairing, on which buildings was included painting inside and outside where needed, general carpentry repairs, including doors, windows...

"Birmingham Fire Station No. 19 serves the East Lake neighborhood. In 1960 Company No. 19 operated one 750-gallon Seagrave pumper truck from the station. in 2017 Station 19 ranked as the 68th busiest Engine Company in the Nation according to Firehouse magazine. Station 19 is the second oldest active fire station for the City of Birmingham behind Station 24. It is the only station with a fire pole still in use." This was one of 23 fire stations that were fixed up under a CWA Birmingham Public Buildings 37-C-715 project. These were designated Class “A”, "those needing general minor repairs, having...

There is little info about this station beyond that it "was equipped with one 1939 Seagrave pumper truck with a 750-gallon capacity." This station was fixed up under a CWA Birmingham Public Buildings 37-C-715 project. These were designated Class “A”, “those needing general minor repairs, having sufficient sound value left in them to justify a thorough repairing, on which buildings was included painting inside and outside where needed, general carpentry repairs, including doors, windows and repairs to floors, or new floors; general repairs to masonry work and plaster or stucco, repairs to roof and sheet metal work, or new roof and...

Birmingham Fire Station 4 is a retired fire station that served the "East End" and Terminal Station area from the 200 block of 24th Street North. It was one of several stations constructed in the mid-1920s by the city of Birmingham for the Birmingham Fire Department. Station No. 4 was designed by architect Bem Price. The two-story brick building featured two large truck bays flanking an entry door. A recessed balcony on the upper level was ornamented with Italian Renaissance-inspired terra-cotta arches supported on thin colonnettes and provided with projecting terra-cotta planter boxes. The pediment roof was provided with a...

The original station, constructed in 1905 at 1501 3rd Avenue North, is the oldest Birmingham fire station still standing. Designed as a 2-bay, 2-story station it has been center of much of the departments history with an original name of "The Greener Station". From 1983 to 2020 it was the home of the Firehouse Shelter, an emergency homeless shelter. However, it is currently abandoned. This was one of 23 Fire Stations listed as Class "A", the CWA Birmingham Public Buildings 37-C-715 Project. Class “A” meaning "those needing general minor repairs, having sufficient sound value left in them to justify a thorough...

According to the 1933 and '34 town reports, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) were involved in: "REPAIRS TO HOUSES The CWA laid the last section of flooring in the Central Station and built a new hose drying rack and also painted and papered the interior of Hose No. 4 house. Hose No. 3 house interior was painted last spring by the driver there. Previous to the CWA work only minor repairs were attempted." "The construction of fire prevention pools in the rural section" (1934) REPAIRS TO HOUSES "A concrete wall was put under the west side of Hose 4...

In 1941, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a fire-fighting water supply system, including underground pipes and surface hydrants, for the small, dairy center of Loleta in the Eel River delta area. Although it is usually impossible to verify such infrastructure work visually, in this case an ancient hydrant/standpipe reveals that the WPA work was carried out.

In 1941-42, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) made major improvements to the Municipal Park in Ferndale, today known as the Firemen's Park.  According to the WPA project card, the improvements consisted of building a softball field with bleachers, reconstructing a recreation hall, adding picnic tables and fireplaces, and changing the channel of Francis Creek. The baseball field, bleachers and recreation hall are all still in place, though altered through the intervening years.  The ball field is dedicated to local sports hero, Carl Oeschger, who enjoyed success as a pitcher in the major leagues in the 1920s.  The recreation hall appears to...

The Fountain Green State Fish Hatchery was first developed as a New Deal project, constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The hatchery is still in operation in a new building at the same site.  The original hatchery shed from the New Deal still exists but is in deteriorating condition on the lower part of the site.

In October 1933, Camp SP5C was set up in Boulder at what is now 6th Street and Baseline Road.  Their main purpose was to build a road up the west slope of Flagstaff Mountain.  The road opened on March 29, 1935. The CCC work continued over the summit of Flagstaff Mountain to Nederland, on what is called Chapman Drive. The road was named in honor of Oscar Chapman, then Assistant Secretary of the Interior. It was the first road into Boulder Canyon and the interior. It is still a dirt road, now closed to motor vehicles. It has some spectacular rock...

The Green Mountain Lodge, located a half-mile's hike from Flagstaff Mountain Road, was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934. The Green Mountain Lodge was built in the classic "park rustic" style of the early 20th century.  Boulder Open Space and Mountain Park's website provides more details: "The roof truss structure was constructed from West Coast heartwood pinned with oak dowels.  Paving flags for the patio terrace and the interior floor were brought from the quarries of Lyons.  The stones that form the walls are local.  The shingles are in shades of 12 colors and sizes and are arranged on the...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) renovated the Halfway House, located halfway up the Flagstaff Mountain Road, in 1933.  It includes a room, patio, picnic area and restroom. The Halfway House was originally built in 1919 by the Lion's Club of Boulder. Exactly what work was done by the CCC is uncertain to us. Halfway House was built in the "park rustic" style of the early 20th century, with massive stones and heavy timbers.  The rock is local golden sandstone. The building belongs to the City of Boulder and is rented for wedding and other events.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Flatirons Golf Course for the city of Boulder, from 1936 to 1938.  It was then called the Boulder Municipal Sports Center. Flatirons Golf Course began as the Boulder Country Club, located at 28th and Iris.  In 1933, course architect William H. Tucker was commissioned to design a new course, and the club and city turned to the WPA to build the new design as a municipal course at the current location at 57th and Arapahoe Streets. 

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was quite active in Grand County, Utah.  Four CCC camps were established in and around Moab, the county seat.  The first was the Warner Lake Camp, F-20, in 1933 under the US Forest Service, which also ran camp PE-214.  These camps worked principally on road construction and flood control on Mill Creek.   The biggest and longest lived of the CCC camps in the county was the Dalton Wells Camp, DG-32, running from 1935 to 1941.  That camp operated under the Division of Grazing of the General Land Office (predecessor of the Bureau of Land Management), working around...

Mercer ME, a small town of only 408 residents at the 1930 Census, received federal help for relief work, which included flood mitigation. Contributions from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Public Works Administration (PWA), and the Civil Works Administration (CWA) are mentioned in the 1936 Town Report. The Report lists following details about the relief work and flood control efforts carried out in 1936: Two people are listed in connection with a 1933 CWA project. Eighteen people and three companies are listed in connection with repairs after the 1936 flood. "Flood Project, WPA, Beech Hill Towns Portion $1,171.94."  

George Yeaton was the supervisor on reconstruction efforts, undertaken by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) after the flood of 1936 on WPA Project No. 814, repairing town roads damaged by flood $428.79.

The 1936 Annual Report of the Town of Farmington N.H. reported the following WPA flood recovery projects: The year started out most discouragingly with the disastrous floods of March 12th and 19th, 1936. An idea of the damage done at that time may be had from the following figures covering the cost of repairs. Using figures furnished us by the State Highway Department the net expenditure by the town (1/8 of 1 per cent of our valuation as required by special act of the legislature) was: Town expenditure:  $2,471.64 State expenditure:   $1,488.47 Total:                          $3,960.11 To this should be added W. P. A. payrolls...

McGuinn Hall was a Colonial Revival style men’s dormitory constructed in 1938 on the campus of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), a historically black college founded in Tallahassee, Florida in 1887. A dedication plaque on the wall of McGuinn Hall indicates that it was constructed as a Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works project, number FLA 1092-6-DS. The architect was Rudolph Weaver, F.A.I.A., who served as dean of the University of Florida’s College of Architecture from 1925 until 1944. He designed a number of dormitories for the University of Florida as well as Florida State University. The latter included...

The beautiful native-stone, rock veneer hospital was opened early in 1941. A county-sponsored, WPA project, it was one of the most modern and best equipped in this section of the country when it opened. The hospital closed in the 1960s. Today it is the home of the Rolling Plains Management Corporation. Several Texas WPA Projects Approved By the President including Crowell, Foard county, construct county hospital and Improve adjacent grounds, $14,254.

Folger Park on the south side of Capitol Hill was named for Charles J. Folger, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1881 to 1884. Part of the original L'Enfant plan of Washington DC, the park was significantly improved in the late 19th century – probably at the same time it was renamed. Folger Park was substantially redeveloped under the New Deal, with funds provided by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1935 and work carried out by Works Progress Administration (WPA) relief labor in 1936.  This was part of a sweeping program of parks and playground renewal across Washington undertaken by...

The index card text: 7' rock masonry fence around football field. Rock masonry stands with timber seats. Ticket office rock masonry with concrete floor. Playing field - grading - fills - drainage and sodding. Replace lighting system from old location. The 7' fence around the field and two ticket offices (one at each entrance) still exist. The stands have been replaced with new metal ones. The lighting system also appears newer.

"Jones County, Hamlin - Construct football and baseball fieds, grandstands and bleachers, rock walls and gravel drives in city park; federal funds, $16,706; sponsor's funds $5,504; workers 48."

The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the Foote Street Houses in Washington, DC in 1943. This development of 168 living units was built for African American national defense workers (Washington, DC was highly segregated at the time). It is unknown to the Living New Deal if any of the structures still exist, but it is not likely since these homes were classified as “demountable,” i.e., intended to be taken down and salvaged sometime after the war. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It...

A manned fire station in the San Bernardino National Park. The supervisor said that the site was once a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp. However, no structures from the original camp survive except for a crumbling square concrete foundation near the outdoor workout area.

Between 1936 and 1940, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook forestry work in Farmington, New Hampshire, to clear the area of currant and gooseberry bushes. Below is a detailed list of the work undertaken: 1936 WPA funds expended: $2,550.26. Area covered: 2,182 acres. Currant and gooseberry bushes destroyed: 59,743. Number of men employed: 18. 1937 WPA funds expended: $1,188.20 Area covered: 1721 acres Currant and gooseberry bushes destroyed: 62,200 Number of men employed: 8 1938 Area covered: 1545 acres Currant and gooseberry bushes destroyed: 28,216 Number of men employed: 9 1940 WPA funds expended in New Durham, with Farmington labor: $786.96 Area covered: 1,002 acres Currant and gooseberry bushes destroyed: 24,892 Number of local men employed: 7

The annual report of the Forestry Division of the Park Commission for the year ending December 31, 1934 reads: "This branch of the Park Department was helped greatly by the Federal Relief Projects; the C. W. A. during the first four months of 1934, with six tree workers and number of laborers for woods clearing, and again under the E. R. A. from the middle of September to the end of the year with two tree climbers. On all this work the Park Department maintained its own foreman and furnished the truck and driver, also all tools, equipment and materials were...

The Works Progress Administration completed pine blister eradication work in the town of Bethel. 1936 Below is a United States Department of Agriculture report of white pine blister rust for the Town of Bethel, year 1936. "Acreage worked, 4254 Crew man hours, 6652 Bushes destroyed. 48,094 Amount spent for labor, $2,932.16 Amount spent for crew transportation, $240.96 This year has completed the mapping of all the pine growth in Bethel. This project has furnished employment for 14 men during the summer months and four men during the winter. The town has contributed nothing toward this project." 1937 Below is a United States Department of Agriculture...

The first State Police Post outside Indianapolis, it was used by the State Police until 2010. The Indiana Finance Authority sought to demolish the building in 2012, but it has been preserved, so far, Presently (May 2021) being used as a Covid-19 testing venue by the local hospital.